Duct modules for climate control system



United States Patent John J. March Rumson, New Jersey 667,180

Sept. 12, 1967 Nov. 3, 1970 Birma Products Corporation Sayreville, New Jersey a corporation of New York Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee DUCT MODULES FOR CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM 5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs. 0.8. CI 138/115, 138/111,138l117 Int. Cl. F161 9/18 Field oiSearch..... 138/111, 113,1l4,115,116,117

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 366,323 7/1887 Johnson 138/114 664,950 1/1901 l-lewlings.. 138/111 764,779 7/1904 Stone 138/115 1,113,560 10/1914 Jordan 138/116 1,459,476 6/1923 Meredith... 138/117 1,835,245 12/1931 Shipley 138/111 1,916,908 7/1933 Stacey 138/(AC Dig.) 1,959,426 5/1934 Henderson 138/(AC Dig.) 2,594,838 4/1952 Alexander 138/(61 File Dig.)

F ORElGN PATENTS 193,157 H1908 Germany 138/115 Primary Examiner- Herbert F. Ross Attorney-Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb & Soffen ABSTRACT: This invention teaches a modular assembly for temperature control systems such as combined summer/winter climate control systems, and is comprised of a plurality of modules.

Patented Nov. 3, 1970 Sheet 2 012 ICE- 5d- DUCT MODULES FOR CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM The instant invention relates to temperature control systems such as heating systems and/or cooling systems and more particularly relates to ducts for use in such systems, which is formed of a plurality of modules of a suitable nonconductive material to reduce materials, handling and shipping costs as well as preventing any heat conduction from one portion of the system to the other.

Large temperature or climate control systems find widespread use throughout industry for the purpose of providing summer and/or winter climate control for large buildings such as offices, factories, stores, apartments and the like. Such systems are typically mounted upon the roof of a-building and are comprised of means for filtering and cooling or heating air fed to the heating or cooling means by means of a return duct. The air which is filtered and heated or cooled is then forced by blower means into a main duct, which carries the heated or cooled air from the heating or cooling means into the building or other interior region which is being temperature controlled.

The ducts normally employed in such systems are usually comprised of either concentric hollow cylindrical members, one positioned within the other, or concentric hollow rectangular shaped members, one positioned in the other, wherein the central opening is coupled to the heating or cooling means to transfer air forced into the central opening, usually by blower means, into the interior region of the building. The region between the exterior surface of the inner member and the interior surface of the outer member forms a return duct for the passage of air back to the heating or cooling system for the purpose of being filtered and.either heated or cooled so as to again reenter the central opening.

Such duct assemblies are normally formed of elongated metallic sheets of a length sufficient to act as a suitable conduit for both conditioned air and return air between the .heating or cooling system and the region being heated or cooled.

- Suitable brackets must also be provided for rigidly positioning the interior hollow member within the exterior hollow member so as to maintain them in rigid space fashion. Such duct assemblies are quite large and are very difficult and expensive to manufacture, transport and install in the field relative to the cost of the actual raw material.

It is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a novel duct assembly which is formed of a plurality of modules all of substantially identical dimensions and each being formed of a suitable insulating material to prevent heat conduction between the heating or cooling system and the interior region being cooled or heated.

Each of the modules is formed of fiberglas so as to prevent any heat conduction whatsoever between the conditioning means and the rooms or regions receiving the conditioned air.

Each module may be formed as a substantially flat sheet provided with grooves or scores arranged in spaced parallel fashion along the length of each sheet to facilitate the bending of the sheet so as to form a module. Shipping of each module as a flat sheet greatly simplifies handling and transportation costs. The flat sheets, after being bent into shape, may be secured together by elongated strips of tape or suitable means.

The exterior surfaces of the modules may either be corrugated or provided with additional elongated grooves for receiving adhesive means and/or a resilient elongated bead which may, for example, be an elongated strip of resilient material having a substantially circular cross section so as to very accurately position the modules relative to one another in forming the completed assembly.

Each module may be shipped in preformed fashion or may be shipped as a substantially flat sheet which is scored or grooved to facilitate bending and forming of the module at the site of field assembly. Each individual module is then secured 'to one another either by mechanical fasteners or suitable adhesive means so as to form a composite substantially rectangular shaped duct assembly, such that the surfaces of each module facing toward the center of the assembly form a rectangular-shaped opening for receiving air which has been either heated or cooled and further such that the individual openings of each module collectively form a cumulative opening surrounding the central opening for returning air to the heating or cooling system for the purpose of filtering and either heating or cooling the-returned air. The individual modules whether shipped as flat sheets to be assembled at the site of field assembly or already preformed are much easier to handle and transport and the field assembly may be done quickly and easily without any special tools, so as to form a composite assembly which is much more inexpensive than conventional duct assemblies has comparable strength and, being formed of an insulating material, prevent the conduction of any heat between the heating or cooling system and the interior region being so heated or cooled.

It is therefore one object of the instant invention to provide a novel duct assembly for use in heating and/or cooling systems.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel duct assembly for use in heating and cooling systems wherein the assembly is formed of a plurality of elongated hollow rectangular-shaped modules joined together by either mechanical fasteners or suitable adhesive means to form a duct assembly having a central opening for coupling heated or cooled air forced therethrough to an interior region being so heated and cooled and further having a composite opening comprised of the individual openings in each of the hollow modules for coupling returned air to the heating or cooling system.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel method for forming a duct assembly for use in heating and cooling systems and the like, comprising the steps of forming a plurality of elongated rectangular shaped hollow modular members and joining the modular members to one another to form a duct assembly having a central opening and a composite opening surrounding said central opening, being comprised of the cumulative openings of each of the individual modules to provide a passageway for coupling return air from the region being heated or cooled back to the heating or cooling system.

These and other objects of the instant invention will become apparent from a consideration of the accompanying description and drawings, in which:

FIGS. 10 and 1b are perspective views showing conventional duct assemblies.

FIG. 1c is an elevational view of a structure employing an assembly of the type shown in FIG. 2.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a duct assembly formed of the modular members designed in accordance with the principles of the instant invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are end and sectional views, respectively, of additional preferred embodiments of the instant invention.

FIGS. 512 -5d are sectional views showing additional preferred embodiments of the instant invention and methods of joining the modules to one another.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. la shows a duct assembly 10 employed in heating and/or cooling systems which is comprised of a hollow cylindrical metallic member 11 being arranged within and concentric to a second hollow elongated cylindrical metallic member 12 of substantially greater diameter than cylindrical member 11 so as to form a first duct or conduit 13 for passing air forced therein from a heating or cooling system (not shown) to an interior region being so heated or cooled and which is coupled to the bottom end of hollow cylindrical member 11. The interior region, (not shown) which may, for example, be a building, may, for example, be arranged in the manner shown in FIG. 1c wherein the heating and/or cooling system 14 is mounted upon a suitable supporting structure 15 and positioned upon the roof of a building or other structure 16. The air, after having been filtered and either heated or cooled is forced downwardly usually by suitable blower means (not shown) through the hollow central opening 13. Return air taken from the building interior passes upwardly through the annular shaped opening 16 to be filtered and either heated or cooled by the heating and/or cooling system 14.

The cylindrical metallic members 11 and 12 are preferably maintained in spaced relation to one another bysuitable bracket means 17 secured to the interior of member 12 and to the exterior of member 11 by suitable fastening means (not shown) or by welding.

FIG. lb shows another embodiment conventionally employed in such systems in which the interior and exterior hollow metallic members 1 l and 12' have a substantially rectangular shaped cross section and which are likewise spaced from one another by suitable bracket means 17. The hollow central opening 13 acts as a conduit for transferring air forced therein from the heating or cooling system to the interior region being serviced. The hollow region 16 surrounding the central opening 13 acts as the conduit for supplying return air to the heating or cooling system for filtering and cooling and/or heating thereof.

The conventional assemblies of FIGS. and lb are substantially large, the lengths of such assemblies being at least of the order of 6' or more. The dimensions of the outer hollow member are usually quite large whether configured in a round or rectangular shape. Such assemblies are difficult to handle and manufacture relative to the cost of the raw materials and are extremely difficult to ship since they occupy a lot of volume and since they require substantially delicate handling to prevent any damage to the assembly.

The assemblies of FIG. 1a and lb are formed of sheets of metal of suitable thickness and strength so as to provide a substantially rigid assembly capable of withstanding the handling normally encountered in transportation and field assembly at the job site. The metallic members act to conduct heat between the heating and/or cooling system and the interior region being so serviced so as to reduce the efficiency of such a system.

The instant invention overcomes all of the disadvantages of the prior art structures of FIGS. la and lb by providing a novel duct assembly 20, as can best be seen in FIG. 2, which is comprised of a plurality of substantially identical modular members 21. Each of said modular members is an elongated hollow substantially rectangular shaped box open at both its upper and lower ends and being formed of a suitable insulating material, such as fiberglas, having a suitable thickness. Each of the modular members 21 may be formed of thin sheets of fiberglas laminated to one another to form each modular member with a suitable number of sheets of fiberglas material being utilized to provide walls of a suitable thickness for each module.

Each module is an elongated hollow member having a substantially rectangular cross section forming an elongated rectangular opening 22 therein. The modules are secured to one another by suitable means, to be more fully described, so as to form a generally rectangular shaped configuration wherein the inwardly facing walls of the modules form a rectangular shaped central opening 23 which functions in a substantially similar fashion to the central openings 13 provided in the duct assemblies of FIGS. 1a and 1b. The individual openings 22 of each module collectively form an outer opening comprised of the cumulative openings 22, which operates as the return duct for conduit in a fashion substantially identical to that performed by the return ducts 16 of the assemblies of FIGS. la and 1b. Due to the inherent nature of the assembly 20 no additional support means are required, such as the brackets 17 and 17, for example, shown in FIG. la and lb, there being required only suitable means for securing the modules along adjacent faces to form the assembly 20. It becomes rather obvious that shipment of the duct assembly 20 is much simpler than shipment of the assemblies 10 or 10, since the individual modules may be shipped before being assembled to one another and may be readily and easily assembled at a job site.

Shipment may be simplified to an even greater degree through the use of a preferred embodiment 21' of FIG. 3

which is comprised of a substantially flat sheet of insulating material, preferably laminated fiberglas layers, to form a flat elongated rectangular shaped board, which is scored (Le. provided with a plurality of spaced parallel grooves) at 24 to facilitate bending of the board in order to form a completed module. For example, the board may be successively bent as shown by the arrows 25, 26, 27 and 28 so as to form the module in the manner shown in FIG. 2. The extreme edges 29a and 29b may then be joined to one another by a suitable elongated strip of adhesive tape preferably having a cloth backing to provide suitable strength for the module.

Adjacent modules may be joined in a variety of ways. As shown in FIG. 5, each module may be formed so as to have a rectangular shaped cross-sectional configuration and in addition thereto having each wall formed in an undulating or serpentine or corrugated fashion such as, for example, the walls 30 and 31 of modules 21 so as to nest of fit snugly against one another in order to prevent any relative linear movement between the modules in the opposing directions as shown by arrows 32 and 33. The space between the facing sidewalls is preferably coated with a suitable caulking adhesive 34, which is capable of providing an extremely strong bond between adjacent modules and further providing a good vapor seal between the central opening 23 and the exterior environments surrounding the assembly 20.

Another method of providing a good bond between adjacent modules and for assuring the proper alignment between adjacent modules is the arrangement as shown in FIG. 5b. Each of the modules 21 is provided with an elongated groove 35 running substantially down the middle of each sidewall, (only two of such grooves being shown in FIG. 5b). One of the sidewalls is then coated with a suitable adhesive 34 and an elongated strip of resilient material is laid in one groove. The adjacent modules are then mated to one another with the elongated strip 36 providing accurate alignment of the facing sidewalls. Suitable adhesive means which may be employed are spray adhesive to all surfaces to be joined, brush adhesive to all surfaces to be joined, trowel adhesive or adhesive type caulking to all surfaces to be joined. The elongated strip may be formed of metal or plastic in conformance to applying building codes. As an alternative the elongated resilient strip may be replaced by employing an adhesive material which is laid into one of two facing grooves 35 in the form of an elongated bead of adhesive material, fed through the nozzle of a caulking tool or from a tube of caulking material, for example. The bead of adhesive caulking material then acts as the aligning means, in addition to acting as a suitable adhesive providing a vapor barrier in the same manner as is previously described. If desired, only one of the modules 21' need be provided with a groove 35 while the other may have a flat surface.

FIG. 50 shows still another method for adjoining adjacent modules 21. Each module is provided with elongated grooves 36, along at least two of its sidewalls for mating with a connecting member or bracket 37. The bracket 37, which may be a molded or extruded plastic or metallic member is comprised of a central section 38, having a pair of symmetrical flanges 39, provided at opposite ends thereof to form a substantially H-shaped cross-sectional configuration. The free ends of the symmetrical flanges are turned inwardly at 40 in order to nest in the grooves 36, so as to rigidly lock adjacent modules to one another. The spaces .41. between the central section 38 of bracket 37 and the sidewalls 30 and 31, respectively, may be coated with a suitable'adhesive 34. The brackets may extend the entire length of the modules or may be short brackets provided at opposite ends of modules for joining same. The

, brackets may'be slid into position from the ends of the cular cross section such as the strip 36 for positioning the ad jacent modules relative to one another. The remaining region between the adjacent faces of the sheets is then filled with a suitable adhesive 34 in the same manner as was previously described. The elongated resilient strip 36 may be replaced by an elongated bead of suitable caulking adhesive. The sheets 43 may extend the entire length of each of the modules or may be substantially shorter than the modules and provided as opposite ends of the modules for joining to one another. The region between two such sheets may be filled with an adhesive material to provide a good vapor barrier between the centrally located opening 23 and the exterior environment of the assembly (see FIG. 2). The metal sheets need only be used on that surface of the modules which is exposed to the elements to protect the assembly from any harmful influences.

Since the heating and/or cooling units are usually of extremely large capacity it is preferable that vibrations originating from the heating and/or cooling unit be isolated from the remainder of the system. Such vibration isolation may be achieved through the use of the module 21 shown in cross section in FIG. 4. As shown therein the opposing sidewalls 35a and 35d are provided with curved sheets 47a and 47d of a suitable insulation material, such as for example fiberglas, which are rigidly joined to sidewalls 35a and 35d, respectively, to form a venturi nozzle. Air forced into the module under pressure, in the direction shown by arrow 48 is compressed in the region 49 defined by a pair of dotted lines, and expands as it moves below the region 49 so as to make surface contact with all of the interior sidewalls of the module. This prevents air from moving directly through each module without touching the sidewalls and thereby isolates vibration between the heating and/or cooling unit 14 and the interior region being serviced.

It can been seen from the foregoing description that the instant invention provides a novel duct assembly for use in climate control systems of substantially large capacity wherein the duct assembly is formed from a plurality of substantially identical modules, each being formed of an insulating material which has the characteristics of providing good supporting strength while being lightin weight, so as to form a composite assembly which is inexpensive, light in weight, is capable of being shipped in knocked-down fashion so as to greatly reduce manufacturing, handling and transportation costs and which may be easily and simply assembled at a job site without the need for any special tools or other apparatus. The joining of modular sections to one another greatly completely eliminates the need for supporting bracket means as employed in conventional assemblies, since the modules form a central opening by means of their interior facing sidewalls and further form a surrounding opening collectively comprised of the cumulative openings of each module. The use of modules formed of insulating material prevents any heat conduction between the heating and/or cooling unit and the area being serviced so as to avoid any reduction in the efficiency of the system. The employment of modular techniques in such duct assemblies enables the use of insulating material which would be of insufficient strength to form the duct assemblies of conventional design. The heat transfer characteristic is also extremely important with regard to the treated air and return air conduits. Forming each module of an insulating material prevents the transfer of heat through the sidewalls of the module separating the central opening from the surrounding openings so as to further prevent heat transfer therebetween and eliminate one additional factor which reduces the efficiency of such heating and/or cooling system.

Although this invention has been described with respect to its preferred embodiments, it should be understood that many variations and modifications will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, and it is preferred, therefore, that the scope of the invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

Iclaim: 1. A rectangular duct assembly for use in heating, cooling, ventilating and like systems having a central opening for coupling the air conditioning system to a region being serviced and a plurality of substantially rectangular-shaped openings surrounding the central opening for coupling the air conditioning system to a region being serviced; a first barrier wall isolating the central opening from the surrounding outer opening; and a second barrier wall isolating the surrounding opening from the surrounding exterior environment, the improvement comprising:

said duct assembly being formed of a plurality of modular sections; each of said sections being an ereciable elongated hollow member of substantially rectangular cross section formed of a lightweight substantially rigid insulating material having good supporting strength and formed of a single fiberglas sheet having a plurality of longitudinal panels foldably connected together along their longitudinal margins and erectable into the said hollow elongated assembly;

means for joining adjacent sidewalls of said modular sections to form an assembly having a substantially rectangular-shaped cross section;

the inwardly facing sidewalls of said sections collectively forming said first barrier whose interior is hollow to permit the unimpeded movement of air therethrough in a first direction, the opening formed by the first barrier being substantially greater than the openings of any one of said modular sections; and

the outwardly facing sidewalls of said modular sections collectively forming said second barrier; said first and second barriers forming a second substantially hollow interior space to permit the unimpeded movement of air therethrough in a second direction opposite said first direction, wherein the sidewalls of each of said modular sections are corrugated to facilitate alignment between engaging sidewalls of said duct assembly and to prevent relative linear movement transverse to the length of said modular sections.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said flat fiberglas sheets are formed of a plurality of thin fiberglassheets laminated to one another.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said modular sections are joined by means of a caulking adhesive provided between engaging sidewalls of said modular sections for joining said sections and for providing a vapor barrier between said central opening and the exterior environment.

4. A rectangular duct assembly for use in heating, cooling,

ventilating and like systems having a central opening for coupling the air conditioning system to a region being serviced and a plurality of substantially rectangular-shaped openings surrounding the central opening for coupling the air conditioning system to a region being serviced; a first barrier wall isolating the central opening from the surrounding outer opening; and second barrier wall isolating the surrounding opening from the surrounding exterior environment, the improvement comprising:

said duct assembly being formed of a plurality of modular sections; each of said sections being an erectable elongated hollow member of substantially rectangular cross section formed of a lightweight substantially rigid insulating material having good supporting strength and formed of a single fiberglas sheet having a plurality of longitudinal panels foldably connected together along their longitudinal margins and erectable into the said hollow elongated assembly;

means for joining adjacent sidewalls of said modular sections to form an assembly having a substantially rectangular shaped cross section;

the inwardly facing side walls of said modular sections collectively forming said first barrier whose interior is hollow to permit the unimpeded movement of air therethrough in a first direction, the opening formed by the first barrier being substantially greater than the openings of any one of said modular sections;

the outwardly facing sidewalls of said modular sections collectively forming said second barrier; said first and second barriers forming a second substantially hollow interior space to permit the unimpeded movement of air therethrough in a second direction opposite said first direction;

wherein the sidewalls of each modular section adjacent the engaging sidewall of the modular section are provided with elongated grooves positioned near the sides of said engaging side wall;

said joining means comprising bracket means having a flat central position and a flange on opposite ends thereof; each of said flanges extending transversely to said central position and on both sides thereof to form an H-shaped cross-sectional configuration;

said flanges being bent inwardly at their free ends;

said bracket central portion being positioned between facing sidewalls of adjacent modular sections; and

the inwardly bent portions of said ilangcs being nested in associated ones of said elongated grooves provided in the adjacent nonengaging sidewalls of adjacent modular sections. 1

5. A rectangular duct assembly for use in heating, cooling,

ventilating and like systems having a central opening for coupling the air conditioning system to a region being serviced and a plurality of substantially rectangular-shaped openings surrounding the central opening for coupling the air conditioning system to a region being serviced; a first barrier wall isolating the central opening from the surrounding outer opening; and second barrier wall isolating the surrounding opening from the surrounding exterior environment, the improvement comprising:

said duct assembly being formed of a plurality of modular sections;

each of said sections being an erectable elongated hollow member of substantially rectangular cross section formed of a lightweight substantially rigid insulating material having good supporting strength and formed of a single fiberglas sheet having a plurality of longitudinal panels foldably connected together along their longitudinal margins and erectable into the said hollow elongated assembly;

means for joining adjacent sidewalls of said modular sections to form an assembly having a substantially rectangular-shaped cross section;

the inwardly facing sidewalls of said sections collectively forming said first barrier whose interior is hollow to permit the unimpeded movement of air therethrough in a first direction, the opening formed by the first barrier being substantially greater than the openings of any one of said modular sections;

the outwardly facing sidewalls of said modular sections collectively forming said second barrier; said first and second barriers forming a second substantially hollow interior space to permit the unimpeded movement of air therethrough in a second direction opposite said first direction;

wherein each of said modular sections is provided with a flat elongated metallic sheet of relatively thin gauge being bent to surround three sidewalls of said modular section to collectively form a metallic barrier surrounding the outwardly facing sidewalls of the modular sections; means for securing said sheet to its associated modular section;

at least one exterior sidewall surface of said sheet being provided with an elongated groove; and means positioned within cooperating grooves of engaging sidewalls to facilitate proper alignment therebetween. 

